Petra Ecclestone enjoys a dinner date with her husband Sam Palmer in Santa Monica after speaking out about her skin cancer scare

Petra Ecclestone was snapped looking chic after a dinner date out in Santa Monica on Saturday night - after speaking out about a concerning skin cancer scare on Wednesday.

The F1 heiress, 35, looked stylish in a knit long-sleeve black jumper teamed with smart grey wide-leg trousers.

The model added elegant black stiletto and a matching small handbag, while keeping her blonde locks neat with a headband.

Petra was seen exiting the Muse restaurant after enjoying a lavish meal with her husband and real estate agent Sam Palmer, 39.

On Friday the socialite took to her Instagram page to reassure fans about her recovery, thanking them for the overwhelming support.

Recording herself as she gave a surgery update, while still wearing bandages on her head, she said: 'Good morning guys, so I got loads of messages.

'I guess it was an alarming site my head being bandaged.

'I just posted it because I really want people to be careful about going the sun and having the right protection.'

Petra tried to raise awareness as she continued to talk about her own experience, revealing she didn't use to care about protecting her own skin until recently.

Captioning her latest clip, she penned: 'Thank you to everyone who reached out yesterday about my story.

'I'm doing well and recovering but this is your reminder to take sun damage seriously... please wear sunscreen and avoid tanning beds at all costs!'

Earlier this week, the heiress firstly sparked concern after sharing a selfie with her head wrapped in a bandage.

The media star was makeup-free in the Instagram snap as she pouted down the lens while clad in her pyjamas.

Petra captioned the snap: 'Guys keep away from the sun. I wish I knew more about it when I was younger and the dangers of it. Please wear SPF daily and a hat.'

The mother-of-three did not specify what had happened. MailOnline has contacted Petra's representatives for comment.

One of the leading risks of not using SPF is overexposure to UV rays, which leads to early aging of the skin and damage that can cause skin cancer .

The NHS encourages everyone to use at least SPF 30 protection.

Regular users of sun cream with SPF 15 or higher can cut their risk of melanoma — the most deadly type of skin cancer — in half, studies have also suggested.

Around 15,000 Brits and 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year, the most common form of skin cancer.

Melanoma is often fast growing and can quickly burrow through the skin and into the blood vessels beneath.

Once the cancer cells get into the bloodstream, the disease can spread throughout the body.

Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used.

Petra shares a daughter Millie, three, with her husband Sam Palmer and also shares daughter Lavinia, 11, and twin sons James and Andrew, eight, with her ex-husband James Stunt.

The TV personality and husband Sam tied the knot in July 2022, enjoying a lavish ceremony at Petra's £170 million London mansion, but now live together in Los Angeles.